


Warm and Furry

by triggeringthehealing (froggydarren)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Post Season 4, Summer, Wolf Derek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 08:29:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9170884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froggydarren/pseuds/triggeringthehealing
Summary: Derek could shift back to human, but there’s something about being a wolf that he’s not yet learned to not revel in. Despite the heat, it feels more comfortable, more like he’s himself.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally meant for the Sterek Writers Summer Bingo, but I kind of failed at that miserably. So it was put aside for, well, now. Have a little warmth in fictional form ;)

It’s California, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s  _ hot _ in the summer. And yet, the first summer that Derek’s back in Beacon Hills after the second trip to Mexico, it feels like he’s stepped right into hell. Only it’s not the hell he’s used to in this town, not the kind that comes with blood, death, and terror. It’s the hell that makes him feel like he’s melting from inside out, like his skin is burning, and like there’s not enough shade  _ anywhere _ . 

“It would help if you didn’t shift, you know,” Stiles tells him.

They’re on the porch of the Stilinski house; Stiles is stretched out on a swing in that one corner that isn’t being scorched by the sun with one leg hanging out, and Derek -- in full wolf shift -- is hiding under that swing, huffing unhappily.

“I could get you a little kiddie pool,” Stiles muses. 

He drops his leg further down to give the swing a gentle push just as Derek growls and nips at Stiles’ heel. The yelp that follows amuses Derek more than it should, and he licks at Stiles’ bare foot. 

“Foul play, man!” Stiles grumbles, and he pulls his leg back up. 

Derek lifts himself just enough for his back to hit the bottom of the swing, and then he sways a little to move it. Above him, Stiles sighs with content, and one of his arms drops, fingers digging into Derek’s fur. 

Yeah, he could shift back to human, but there’s something about being a wolf that he’s not yet learned to not revel in. Despite the heat, it feels more comfortable, more like he’s  _ himself _ . 

And then of course there’s the fact that whenever he shifts back to human, Stiles immediately slips on a T-shirt. When Derek’s a wolf, Stiles is less likely to feel self-conscious, less likely to sit around in just shorts. Not that Derek’s been paying attention to that or anything. Not at all. 

“Ugh, this is ridiculous,” Stiles says some time later and pulls his hand back up, then he swings both his legs down as he sits up. “We need to find a way to cool off.” 

Derek, lying on the wood of the porch again, barely bothers lifting his head, but he huffs in agreement. Then he does make the mistake of looking as Stiles steps away from the swing. Sometime between getting on the swing -- and Derek remembers, because that was when he got demoted to the floor -- and now, Stiles has lost not only the tank top, but also the shorts he was wearing. He’s only in his boxers now, and that almost shocks Derek into a shift back to human. 

“C’mon, we’re going for a drive,” Stiles says, and he grabs the shorts and a tank top off the swing. 

To Derek’s dismay, Stiles is dressed again when they get to Roscoe, and stays like that until they get to the small lake on the Hales’ old property. Derek told Stiles about it years ago, the summer when they were searching the woods for Erica and Boyd, and he’s surprised that Stiles remembers. It’s a short walk away from the nearest dirt road, but the path is between trees and shrubbery. Derek trots ahead, listening in to Stiles’ clumsier and heavier footsteps, occasionally glancing back when Stiles curses at roots that seem intent on tripping him up -- or so he says quietly, mostly to himself. 

Derek has already cooled down some when they reach the water, in spite of the walk and thanks to the shade they walked in, and he pauses to wait until Stiles fights his way out of the bushes surrounding the lake. When he notices that the tank top is clinging to Stiles’ body a little too well, and that Stiles is reaching for the bottom edge, Derek turns and takes a run at the water.

“I hope you can swim!” Stiles calls out when Derek is in mid-air. 

The lake -- surrounded by trees as it is -- has not soaked up the heat from the air, nor is the ground surrounding it warm enough. Derek finds out just how  _ not _ hot it is when his wolf body submerges. The shock of the sudden cold is enough to surprise him into a shift, and when he comes up for air he’s entirely human. And -- he realises a second later -- naked. 

He hears the gasp behind him, then a splash, and Stiles’ curse at the water’s temperature. When Derek turns around, he can see how the water surrounding Stiles’ chest ripples because of the way he shivers. Surprising himself, Derek wades through the water and stops in front of Stiles, only hesitating when they’re suddenly a lot closer than he planned them to be. 

“Hi,” Stiles says, his teeth chattering. 

“Hey,” Derek responds. 

There’s a moment of silence during which Derek’s mind catches on to the fact that he’s not the only one naked under the surface of the lake. He’s still processing that when one of Stiles’ hands moves towards his own. The brush of fingers against his skin snaps Derek back to reality, and he turns his palm to capture Stiles’. 

It’s almost slow motion -- Derek moves a fraction forward, Stiles nods and licks his lips, Derek’s eyes widen as they focus on the droplets of water on Stiles’ face, they both move forward some more. But the moment their lips meet, everything speeds up, and the next moment Stiles is pulling away from the kiss, dropping his head to Derek’s shoulder, arms floating up and stopping at Derek’s sides. 

“I love heat waves,” Stiles whispers. 

He’s still shivering, but Derek is sure it has nothing to do with being cold anymore.

**Author's Note:**

>   
> [my tumblr](http://froggydarren.tumblr.com/) || [my sterek fic tumblr](http://triggeringthehealing.tumblr.com/)  
> 


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